Jeffrey Byrnes: Polaroid: Looking back.

During a web crawl for some cool things to share here on Lenshare, I came across an good read on the Boston Hearld website. MIT was given the first Polaroid camera ever invented. You can read the Article Here: MIT gets 1st Polaroid camera. Being a photographer, I feel like a fool for admitting this, (especially considering I come from MA and lived in Cambridge last year) but I was unaware that the first instant camera was invented in Cambridge. I am sure there are quite a few individuals who did not know this. But, regardless, being so close to the epicenter of such a profound intention, you would think one would know this. Considering I have studied the History of Photography. Currently, there are a few of the first Polaroid cameras ever invented sitting in an undisclosed antique store awaiting my eager purchase. I have a plan to revitalize said camera and use it on some commercial shoots we are booking. I wont say the nature of these shoots, as it is a surprise to the client. But in the spirit of MIT receiving something of immense value to the Cambridge Community, as Cambridge is home to some prolific inventions/inventors, I have gone ahead an pulled together some interesting links for you to read. This will open up the history of Polaroid for you and give you a comprehensive knowledge of where the camera came from.

If you are from my generation, you may remember this camera. My grand mother used to have one and always made sure to have film around where ever she took it. As a child, now this must have been a precursor to future, I was always so damn curious and interested in playing with it. Granted, my parents of course had a “real” film camera and always had that around, this just seemed so much cooler to play with. It really is a shame that as a company, Polaroid failed. Fuji currently has the rights to produced the beloved film. There are a few cameras out there being sold that still use Polaroid film, or the equivalent of. If you are a contemporary fine arts photographer and know what a Holga is, then you maybe aware of and or using a Holga with a Polaroid back. The average cost of the back is $129.00. The cameras range from $30-$100 depending on the model you are interested in purchasing. I own three Holga cameras and use them frequently in some of my work. I have yet to acquire the Polaroid back. I am anxious for them to produce a Holga digi upgrade! If you get a chance to play with the original land camera, named after its inventor, I suggest doing so. It was a mile stone for photography and opened up the medium to what we now have today, Digital Photography.